Leaderboard

This song is the first in a five-movement suite inspired by my time in Iceland. The opening theme uses counterpoint and sustained notes to emulate that feeling of joy-anxiety each new day brings. There is a transitional passage that builds with anticipation into the middle theme, which is harmonically less complex than the first—this is meant to represent that feeling of unbridled peace an early morning stroll in nature brings. The middle theme is repeated in various keys and modulations before the return to the opening theme and the piece ends in a soft, arppegiated finish. Mornings anywhere are special times, but I find them particularly breathtaking in Iceland. There are so few people and so many natural phenomena that one can't help but be spiritually touched by íslensk dögun—an Icelandic dawn. (Be warned: sunrises/sunsets are difficult to catch in high summer and winter, as the sun never really rises/sets.) I couldn't resist incorporating a morning song into a suite about that lovely country! The overall style of the song is impressionistic... you likely won't come away humming any melodies, but (hopefully) you will come away with those feelings etched on your soul for a while. BTW I'm a pianist and, as such, strive to make my piano songs as enjoyable to play as possible. You'll notice quite a bit of hand-crossing, melody-driven left-hand passages, and many other "fun" effects. I think that's enough words for now. Please, enjoy and comment! I always love hearing how the piece made you feel, and what did or didn't sit well with you!

A few comments on the playability: 1. viola m98-99—impossible double stop. Swap a note out with the cello 2. viola m167—impossible double stop. You'll have to get rid of one of those notes. 3. cello m184-185—impossible double stop. You'll have to get rid of one of those notes again. 4. You have several slurred double stops throughout. Just FYI, these will turn into slides when played, not slurs. 5. There are a couple of passages (for example, m150-152) with runs through several octaves where you leave out the viola. Consider adding the viola back in for the middle section of those passages. Overall, nice job!

I like it, it is, among other things, ingenious writing! It makes me want to listen to it again. Congratulations!

Thank you for this pleasant piece in the morning sun while drinking my coffee 🙂. One of the main pillars of composition is variation. This is learned by practice. So you have a motive over the bass ostinato. Do you know more ways to make variations on the motive? Think what you can do and try how it sounds! Try different things, as many as possible, and choose what you feel are the best.